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The Battered Bastards of Baseball

One of baseball's last great, unheralded true stories "The Battered Bastards of Baseball" .

Neil Oliver "Bing" Russell (known for playing Deputy Clem on "Bonanza" his son is Actor Kurt Russell and grandfather of ex-major league baseball player Matt Franco.) created in 1973, the only independent baseball team in America at the time - Portland Mavericks.

Operating without a Major League affiliation, Bing had tryouts for the Mavericks, which were open to the public, were filled with hopefuls who arrived in droves from every state in America, many of whom had been rejected by organized baseball.

Bing's Mavericks generated unprecedented success: they shattered attendance records, Bing even signed his son Kurt Russell as a player and team Vice President. Bing even produced the most successful batboy in baseball (filmmaker Todd Field), he re-launched the controversial career of Jim Bouton, hired the first female general manager in Baseball, and inspired one of America's beloved bubblegums - Big League Chew.

The Battered Bastards of Baseball is about he Mavericks' in your face attitude which was contagious to fans, and during their short reign, they - and Bing Russell - basically held up their middle finger to the sports establishment and said we're playing this game on our terms, not yours.